Nikola Jokic turned in his ninth triple-double of the season, Jerami Grant scored a season-high 25 points and the Denver Nuggets held off the Houston Rockets 117-110 on a melancholy Sunday as players and fans learned about an hour before the game of the helicopter crash that killed NBA great Kobe Bryant.
The mood was somber all afternoon. A few of the Nuggets sat at their lockers before the game, staring at their phones in disbelief with the Bryant news starting to appear. The 41-year-old Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed in the crash near Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
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Nikola Jokic turned in his ninth triple-double of the season, Jerami Grant scored a season-high 25 points and the Denver Nuggets held off the Houston Rockets 117-110 on a melancholy Sunday as players and fans learned about an hour before the game of the helicopter crash that killed NBA great Kobe Bryant.
Tyson Chandler and P.J. Tucker were visibly upset during the tribute, while Austin Rivers covered his eyes with his hand. Rivers also had a tribute to Bryant on his shoes. So did Tucker, who wrote “There will never be another.”
Westbrook scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and Eric Gordon added 19 in the absence of Harden.
Rockets: Westbrook had 10 turnovers. ... Clint Capela grabbed 12 rebounds.
Rockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story drained the pregame free throw while wearing a pair of Kobe Bryant shoes. Story has always been a big fan of the player dubbed Black Mamba.
The Nuggets held a moment of silence before the tip-off, with fans chanting, "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!" right after.
From left to right, Houston Rockets center Tyson Chandler, guard Austin Rivers and forward P.J. Tucker react during a tribute to Kobe Bryant before an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Denver. Bryant died in a California helicopter crash Sunday. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
Tyson Chandler and P.J. Tucker were visibly upset during the tribute, while Austin Rivers covered his eyes with his hand. Rivers also had a tribute to Bryant on his shoes. So did Tucker, who wrote “There will never be another.”
Jokic finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help the Nuggets even the season series with Houston at two apiece. The Rockets were without leading scorer James Harden, who sat out with a bruised left thigh.
The game featured 12 lead changes heading into the fourth quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Monte Morris helped the Nuggets gain some separation. Grant wrapped things up with a block of Russell Westbrook in the closing seconds.
Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook looks to pass the ball against the Denver Nuggets in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Denver. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
Westbrook scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and Eric Gordon added 19 in the absence of Harden.
Michael Porter Jr. finished with 17 points for the short-handed Nuggets, who were without Jamal Murray (left ankle sprain), forward Paul Millsap (bruised left knee) and backup center Mason Plumlee (right foot).
TIP-INS
Houston Rockets guard Ben McLemore, font left, pursues the ball with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Denver. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
Rockets: Westbrook had 10 turnovers. ... Clint Capela grabbed 12 rebounds.
Nuggets: Coach Michael Malone challenged an offensive call on Will Barton in the third quarter. The call was overturned. ... It was Jokic's 37th career triple-double. ... Morris finished with 17.
DIFFERENT STORY
Houston Rockets guard James Harden looks on from the bench in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Denver. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
Rockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story drained the pregame free throw while wearing a pair of Kobe Bryant shoes. Story has always been a big fan of the player dubbed Black Mamba.
"The way he played the game was so inspiring to me," Story said. “The Mamba mentality, you try to mimic that. The intensity he played with was so special. It's hard to even fathom right now.”
OFF THE CHARTS
Houston Rockets forward Thabo Sefolosha, left, drives to the rim for a basket past Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Denver. (AP PhotoDavid Zalubowski)
So, on a scale of 1 to 10, just how difficult is it to prepare for a Houston team that can boast two MVP candidates?
"Eleven," Malone said. “It's hard. They present a lot of problems, not just for us but everyone else in the NBA.”
UP NEXT
Rockets: At Utah on Monday. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni listed Harden as doubtful for the game against the Jazz and added that Westbrook will sit it out.
Nuggets: At Memphis on Tuesday. The Nuggets are 2-0 against the Grizzlies this season.
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